Review of The Art of Self-Defense (2019) by Tvjerry — 25 Jul 2019

Even though this is being advertised as a comedy, there's almost nothing funny here. Instead is a very dark, somewhat twisted story. After being attacked by a motorcycle gang, a fearful accountant (Jesse Eisenberg) takes up karate.

This is Eisenberg at his most tentative, neurotic and apprehensive, which is saying something. Even so, his character's development adds some new notes to his performance. What starts out as his journey to achieve confidence thru martial arts, twists into a brutal examination of toxic masculinity and misguided brutality.

I'm sure people who practice karate will find this dojo an outrage, but general audiences will be in for a sinister, bleak, somewhat intentionally absurd cinematic contortion.